Whole Made: Maybe I didn’t get the words wrong afterall…

Do you see my “About Me” section in the sidebar to the right? I came up with that years ago well before I started this blog, and so I have somewhat blurred the words into the back of my mind.

Um… Laura, are you OK?

Of course! I’ll explain: There are many times when the words we write – whether as bloggers, as artists, or as moms as many of you are – become so routine with us that we don’t see them even when they are right in front of us. It isn’t that their meaning isn’t as true or as heartfelt. It’s just that we’ve seen the words so often that our mind summarizes them for us and then we’re off to the next bit of words, or the next image, or the next item on our ever-lengthening To Do lists.

Case in point:

On Monday, after I published my latest Handmade Earrings Addiction post, I went over to my Etsy account to “Convo” [message] each jewelry designer to let them know I had featured them. This also is a routine task, although one I enjoy as it usually results in some enjoyable conversations back and forth with other Etsy folks.

Here’s where it gets interesting. One of the many replies I received was from Cyndia of BlackWaterSiren on Etsy. (Cyndia’s earrings that I featured are these stunning handmade Skull Pirate earrings.) In just a few sentences, Cyndia snapped me back into the present, where words you’ve written and seen over and over are not merely blurred into the back of your mind.

Here’s part of what Cyndia wrote:

Thank you for choosing my earrings! I am very honored. I’ve posted the link to your blog on my Facebook page. I was skimming through your About Me part; I don’t think you got the words wrong on the whole-made cards, I think that’s a lot more accurate of a description of hand-made. We artists use our whole beings to create art with. I think you were very astute, as children often are, and absolutely correct. Out of the mouths of babes, as they say, you said the truth more simply and accurately than most adults could ever admit to. Whole-made = Bravo!

Cheers,
Cyndia

Wow. I just sat there, actually seeing my words again through someone’s eyes who read those words for the first time. And I loved her reaction to those words. Very much. So I wrote her back to thank her, because she truly made my day, giving me something to think about and bringing me back into the present. I also asked her if I could share her words here with you, to which she agreed.

And she added this:

Of course, you can put it on your blog. It’s great to know that something I said had that much impact.

It’s just that I see so many people, particularly artists (and including myself sometimes), sell themselves short because we have swallowed the introject, the myth, propagated by jealous peers that it’s not appropriate to “show off” – when all we are doing is being natural and reveling in our own joy of what we have achieved. Instead, we start to doubt our abilities, believe more in what others think rather than our own wisdom, shroud our light until it is so diminutive it becomes unrecognizable, even to ourselves.

You’ll see how prolific this introject has become by observing how many people say, “I’d love to do that but I’m not at all creative.” What bunk. If we all would just stop this social nonsense and start putting ourselves back together again, back to the way we began, we could make ourselves whole again; whole-made.

Wow again. I so love and agree with what Cyndia wrote, that I had to share it here with all of you. I hope her words inspire you like they inspired me.

And I hope you will take a look at something you’ve written and see it with a new clarity.

What a wonderful exchange to read, thank you for sharing it. Hearing being talk about not being creative drives me nuts too – I think what they mean is they don’t have specific skills (eg. the ability to draw, knit, sew) because I think we are all creative, just in different ways. Solving a maths problem can be just as creative as painting a picture, we just tend to not think of it that way.

(Also, I love a good wake up call/fresh take on something that we take for granted. It helps us look at everything around us with fresh eyes don’t you think?)

I think I will call it whole-made from now on! Great post. She is spot on about getting back to the way we began, and losing the self degradation. It has become such a huge part of how we interact with the world, and our self talk, which is too bad since it is total BS!

I agree Johnnie: our own self talk can be very detrimental. It is one thing to be one’s own harshest critic, but sometimes it can be taken so far as to immobilize our creative desires and ideas. And yes – that’s when it’s BS!

Can I get an AMEN up in here? Wow! Truer words have never been spoken! Hallmark can hit the sticks “Whole-Made” cards are in the house! Fabulous post Laura! Thanks so much for sharing Cyndia wise and well spoken words. Consider me inspired!

Wow! The words that Cyndia wrote were so powerful, not only for the content they held, but the way they were strung together. She is truely a creative person. Definately Whole-Made. What an inspiration to so many people. I shared this on Pinterest and exhorted all my creative friends to read this post. I agree that this introjection that Cyndia talks about is perpetuated by our own self-doubt and then projected, in turn, onto others–and then back to ourselves again. However, I believe, on the flipside, it is simultaneously true that no other person can tell us (to our belief) that we are creative. We have to discover it for ourselves, and discern it by our own internal wisdom. Then, if allowed, we can foster the belief and turn it into reality. We all have it, but we have to discover it for ourselves, and revel in that discovery in others.Thank you for sharing your wisdom with all of us. The reminders can, as you say, help us see with new clarity what we already knew existed.

Thanks for sharing this post with your friends, Emily! I really appreciate it, and am glad you found Cyndia’s words so powerful. You make a great point that we need to discover our own creativity, we can’t just assume we have it because someone says it is so. It’s that discovery – that moment – that we need to remind ourselves of. It is why we do what we do, why we are who we are. 🙂

Pet Scribbles is where I share my craft tutorials, home and garden projects, and occasional stories about my cats. I can never have enough pretty craft paints to work with, and I love to make things look time-worn with distressing and aging. Gardening is my therapy!

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